How I Lost 10 Pounds Without Changing my Diet
If you’ve ever tried to lose those last stubborn pounds to no avail, you know my frustration. Sure, you’re at an acceptable weight, but you just don’t feel like your best, truest self yet. Maybe, like me, you’ve tried fad diets, cutting out carbs, or cutting out sugar to try and lose the weight but no matter what you do those last pounds just stick like glue.
Recently, I’ve discovered that the trick to weight loss is no trick at all. With a few tools and a little extra time, I’ve finally cracked the code to reach a weight that I had nearly given up as unachievable.
How I got here
Despite issues with an under-active thyroid since my teens, I’ve managed to maintain what experts would describe as a healthy weight throughout my life. In college, I was a scholarship athlete, after college, I stayed active through dance and yoga. Somewhere in my early 20’s, I picked up an extra five or six pounds. Having a small frame, the weight showed but it certainly wasn’t anything I was overly concerned about.
Now in my mid 30’s five pounds had become more like ten. I began to feel uncomfortable with how I looked and felt. I couldn’t ignore the extra weight any longer. It was time to do something.
What changed
First, I bought a fitness tracker. Suddenly, I was confronted with the fact that climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator did not burn enough calories to reward my good behavior with a can of soda. My fitness tracker revealed that climbing the three flights up to my apartment only burns about eight calories. I needed to see the information on my wrist to understand I wasn’t burning as many calories as I thought.
Next, I bought a food scale. It felt obsessive and out of my comfort zone to be weighing and measuring everything I ate, but it worked. I measured all of my portions out in grams. I could no longer lie to myself about how much food I was putting into my body.
Third, I downloaded a calorie tracking app. I input everything I ate. I linked the app and my fitness tracker. Now I had a real-time account of calories consumed vs. calories burned. According to the app, if I ate 1,740 calories per day I would maintain my current weight. To lose one pound per week, I would need to cut that down to 1,240 calories per day. Calories burned during exercise were additional.
Finally, I set a reasonable goal. I knew that losing weight slowly would increase my chances of keeping the weight off (Feig, 2017). I kept my aim to lose no more than one pound per week.
I did my best to stick to the caloric goal the app set for me. Some days I found myself still hungry. Those days I ate closer to the 1,740 weight maintenance limit than the lower weight-loss limit. I knew that going hungry would result in overeating later. By adding some extra calories some days, I would slow my weight loss overall while keeping me on track instead of giving up.
That’s all.
For the first time in my life, I saw the numbers on the scale drop. In total it took me about four months to reach my goal weight. Some days I ate salads others I ate chips. Every day I ate chocolate. As long I burnt more calories than I ate, I was losing weight.
Maintaining weight after weight loss
Then came the Holidays. From August till November, I lost close to 13 pounds. All of which, I had managed to lose without ever feeling deprived. When Christmas came, I wanted to enjoy all of the delicious treats family and friends had to share without going into the guilt-eating black-hole.
I strategized a new plan.
Having reached my goal, I set my calorie counter to maintenance rather than weight loss. I continued measuring my food and inputting my daily calories. Next, I added in a “holiday buffer.” I allowed myself to go over my calorie budget once in a while without worrying about making up for the surplus later. Knowing if I was careful, and only gained 1–2 pounds come January, I would be able to get myself back on track.
Then came Corona.
January arrived, the last of the holiday festivities were wrapping up followed by more festivities in February for my birthday. I was almost safe. Then before I could get back on track the Coronavirus hit. It wasn’t long before I went from working a physically active job as a flight attendant to staying home and staying inside.
I took advantage of the break at first. I wanted to truly rest and take care of my inner-self. Then, I stopped counting calories.
I was stressed, I was sad, I was mourning my life as I knew it. I ate chips, I ate chocolate, I ate bread. A lot of bread. To be honest, all of these things made me feel better at the time. I knew they would not make me feel better long term, but after being deprived of my work and my social life, I was not about to punish myself further by avoiding what little comfort I could find.
Going forward
I’ve gained back about five pounds during lock-down. I am completely ok with that. I needed to take the time to grieve. Now it’s time to get back on track. If this is the new normal, even temporarily, I can not sit and wallow any longer.
I’m wearing my fitness tracker again, inputting my calories into my app, and for the first time, I’ve added in a 20–30 minute daily fitness session into my routine as well. I am about one week into the weight loss but I feel my body responding positively. Plus this time, I already have the secret to success.
